Illinois State University Top Questions

When you first get to ISU, do not turn down any invitations. Be willing to try new things and meet new people, but remember you're hear to receive an education above all else.

Attend all classes. Pick the school that you want to go to, not the one that your parents want you to go to, and choose the profession that you want.

As I think back to the myself as a high school senior, I can just recall all of the anxiety I had of leaving home and having to fend for myself. Looking back, I feel as if i would tell myself something along that lines saying that everything will work itself out. We all have a path in life, and we have to make the best of the situations that we are handed. This is the time for you to focus on yourself and find out what it is that YOU want in life. This is the time to find yourself, and where you fit into society. This is when you discover that the world is here at your disposal, and that you can do anything you set you mind to. Once you find that one professional that you are passionate about, you can then put your heart and soul into it. This all starts with just believing in yourself, and having a great attitude on life. With that, along with the support form your family and friends, life if a breeze and you will have the adventure of a life time doing so. Just trust the process!

Come prepare to be more organized, you must have a daily schedule to keep on track of your work.

You are about to transition into a point in your life where you will question everything from your upbringing to your sense of style. For so many people college is about finding themselves. However, there are a few people like you who have already found themselves. The person you are is not predicated on clothes or money. It's who you are when no one is watching and there is no one to impress. Poor is a description. It's a classification. It's not who you are. The person you are is beautiful inside and out. You are honest, loyal, humble, and teachable. You're every bit the person you were meant to be. You have to grow, embrace enthusiasm and live for yourself. Stay true to who you are. Life is not meant to be lived easily. If it were that simple, it wouldn't be worth living. You're the first person in your family to attend college. Some people will support you and others won't. Get over it. There's no need to dwell on things that are out of your control. Live life to the fullest. No one else can do it for you.

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The advice I would give myself is to learn what down time was. As a high school student I pratically lived at the school. I participated in marching band, symphonic band, orchestra, choir, theatre, and I ran track. Most days I would leave home for school at 7am and arrive back at home at 12am. Of course when I got to college all my advisors felt since I was a freshmen I needed to learn time management so they limited me to two extra curriculars. While my fellow classmates were stressing over finding time to do homework and study I was trying to find what to do with the extra 10 hours in my day!! My body and mind were trained to do homework as soon as I possible and survive from 2 hours of sleep. So of course in college all my homework was done three weeks early and I stared at the walls at night. Although I thought that much spare time was unbearable I found it to be quite soothing. I finally had time to think and get to know myself. I finally had to look in the mirror to plan my future. Here I Come World!!

I would tell myself to look further into grants, loans, and scholarships. I was not aware of the hardships I would have to deal with financially, even as a 1st semester freshmen. I had the chance to be in a sorority and a club soccer team but had to turn both of them down in order to pay for other expenses. I also would apply for on-campus jobs sooner because like most college freshmen, everyone needs money. Lastly, I would tell myself to apply to more colleges. Although I love the school I am currently at, I only applied to 4 schools and I think I should have givin more schools a chance. College is said to be the best days of your life so I would make sure my "high school self" knows to spend them wisely, successfully, and happily.

If I were to talk to myself as a senior in high school, the fact I would tell myself is this: college is not high school. I mean this in both the academic and social aspects. Academically, the responsibility of passing a class and with which grade lies solely on yourself. While a few professors may find it in their hearts to personally help you succeed, to most you are just a number in a lecture hall of hundreds of students. There is no personalized punishment for not attending class or turning in your homework (besides a lower grade). There are not 'detentions' or a set amount of days you are legally allowed to miss. However, you will find that attending class and doing the reading is necessary to pass. Besides this, the social aspect of college is much different from that of high school. The maturity of the students in comparison to high school students is clear, and it is not necessary to be friends with everyone, nor is it necessary to make sure you are not friends with certain people. In college, your life is yours, your decisions are yours, and your success is solely dependant on you.

Knowing what i do now as a college student, if i could give myself advice as a high school senior I would definitely tell myself to focus on my goals and improving upon the aspects of school that I am weak at. I now know that studets can not get by excelling in only one aspect of school, but instead a broad range of knowledge is very helpful for college students. I would also tell myself to work harder on my study habits so that when i come to college these habits will already be in place and it won't be something that I will have to worry about. This is so important because unlike high school, where you do most of your work in class, college is diferent in the respect that most of the work is done outside of class on your own time.